Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 4.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

---

[413] he had recrossed the Osage, and that he was bearing westward with a portion of his troops, whilst Hunter and Coffee were moving southward, following a parallel direction, both closely followed by Federal detachments. In spite of all his diligence, he could not succeed in intercepting them. The two Confederate columns arrived before him at Humansville on the 17th of October. He reached the town of Stockton, in Cedar county, a few hours after the Confederates had departed, leaving there their last gun, and, having gathered around him all the forces in pursuit of them, he drove them into Arkansas. After a pretty sharp fight with their rearguard, he took possession of Huntsville, east of the Ozark Mountains, and penetrated into a much-broken branch of this chain called Buffalo Mountains which bounds the Arkansas Valley on the north. On the evening of the 24th he at last overtook the bulk of Shelby's column, but the latter escaped him during the night, and, though he pursued him very closely, he could not prevent him from recrossing the Arkansas on the 27th in the vicinity of Clarksville. A large portion of the Confederate forces had dispersed during this hasty retreat. Not being able to follow the track of the others, McNeil moved toward Fort Smith, which he reached on the 30th of October with about six hundred men. The remainder of his troops returned to Missouri, where his presence was required to keep down the partisans whose boldness had been revived by Shelby's daring raid. One of their chiefs, Colonel Love, had already signalized himself on the 3d of November by capturing a small post near Waynesville, when the return of some Federal soldiers happened to interrupt his plans and compelled his band to disperse.

Quantrell, on his part, had availed himself of the respite that Shelby's pursuit had afforded him to reorganize his band. Provided with a regular commission and commanding officially a brigade of the Confederate army, he had not, any more than his men, renounced his lawless practices, as will be seen presently. This band once organized, he decided upon taking it south, finding, doubtless, that partisan life was becoming more dangerous than remunerative in Missouri, and proceeded to the Indian Territory, hoping to surprise some isolated post or some train on the road connecting Forts Scott, Gibson, and Smith. This road was